


I want to talk to Emrys

by ticketyboo00



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Absolutely No Angst, Arthur Finds Out About Merlin’s Magic (Merlin), Gen, Magic Reveal, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), One-Shot, emrys - Freeform, just too sweet of an ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:13:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23831410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ticketyboo00/pseuds/ticketyboo00
Summary: The Druids want Arthur to talk to Emrys. The only clue Arthur has is that Merlin knows where he is.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 345





	I want to talk to Emrys

**Author's Note:**

> This is my ice smooth magic reveal. No angst, no hard feelings.

“The druids made some interesting demands today,” Arthur said, and he waltzed into his rooms. Merlin was pretending to tidy up, but mostly just listening to Arthur. 

“Oh? What did they want?”

“They said they would only speak to me through Emrys, their High Lord.”

Merlin’s hands froze. Shit. Arthur knew his name. Merlin hated it when the druids came to Camelot. While it was nice Arthur was becoming more lenient of magic, the druids were always awkward around him. Made him feel uncomfortable. 

“Merlin? I asked you a question,” Arthur stated. Arthur’s face took on a look he didn’t make very often, his thinking face. 

Merlin was startled out of his thoughts, “what was the question?”

“Do you know any Emryses? The druids said he lived in Camelot.”

“Why do you want to meet him? Are you going to chop his head off?”

Arthur gave Merlin a startled look, “Are you thick? Why on earth would I do that? I’m trying to make peace with the druids!”

Merlin sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. It was too early for this conversation, probably would be no matter the time. “Emrys is a sorcerer, sire. That’s why I asked.” 

“He is? Then why on earth did the druids say he had been saving my life for years?”

Merlin’s heart was beating out of his chest, “I don’t know, sire.”

“Why do you look so nervous Merlin?” Arthur prodded. Arthur knew that Emrys was a sorcerer, and had been saving his life for years. The druids also let slip another interesting fact, his servant knew where he was. 

“I’m not nervous,” Merlin denied. He couldn’t let Arthur know. It had been too long. Also, he wanted to keep his head. 

“You know something,” Arthur just wanted him to admit where Emrys was. It wasn’t proper to keep secrets from the King. Arthur was surprised Merlin had managed to keep quiet about this secret protector. “I’m not going to hurt him, I swear. I just want to meet him.”

Merlin looked up suspiciously, “you’re not going to hurt Emrys? A sorcerer?” 

Arthur sighed, he hated to repeat himself, “no I won’t. The druids told me you know where he is, so just take me to him, Merlin.”

Merlin’s eyes flashed with surprise and panic. Be sucked in a breath, “I’ll talk to him about it.”

“See that you do”

And Merlin fled the room. 

Merlin’s plan was more than a little mad, but Arthur had insisted. He needed to meet this Emrys. Apparently his life had been saved by sorcery more times than it hadn’t. It was his duty to thank this man, possibly reward him, maybe talk to him about magic. 

Merlin stopped, dismounted, and tied up his horse at the edge of the clearing. 

“Merlin, why are you stopping?”

“This is where I told him to meet us, just be patient.”

Arthur grumbled, but dismounted and tied his horse in a similar manner. The King began to survey the clearing, looking for ambushes. As soon as he was faced directly away from Merlin, Merlin whispered the spell he’d painstakingly memorized earlier that evening. 

Time slowed around him. It took an incredibly powerful sorcerer to mess with time, but compared to life and death, it was nothing. 

Merlin whispered another spell, confident that one would hold. He had a few minutes, at best. 

This spell made a patch of grass grow quickly, first reaching his knees, then stopping at Merlin’s exact height. In between heartbeats, the grass took on the likeness of Merlin himself. It wasn’t very intelligent, but the grass golem could be easily controlled by a sorcerer. Merlin didn’t want Arthur to think Emrys kidnapped him, or to be distracted during their talk. 

Merlin quickly put on the new cloak he brought, and pulled dark pants over his trousers. He had to give Arthur every last opportunity to turn away from the knowledge he was seeking. Merlin pulled up his hood and uttered another spell. He felt, rather than saw the swirling blackness obscuring his face. He could see out, but no one could see in. 

Merlin positioned himself in the middle of the clearing, and restarted time. 

Merlin had the grass golem speak, “Arthur, he’s here.”

Arthur turned, then started at the sight of him. Merlin winced, maybe the costume was a bit much.

Arthur couldn’t believe what he was seeing. A figure, dresses in black, with blackness for a face. How had he gotten into the clearing? Arthur hadn’t heard anything. Merlin was uncharacteristically silent. 

“Are you Emrys, Guardian of Camelot,High Lord of the Druids?” Arthur asked. 

“I am Emrys, Guardian of Camelot. As for High Lord, I do not know. I am not a Druid, I could hardly claim to be Lord above them.” The voice was distorted, almost seemed to take on the tinge of darkness surrounding his face. 

That was surprising. This man didn’t think he was the High Lord of the druids. If that was true, Arthur had no business with him. But it wasn’t true, Emrys had been saving his life for years. 

“Show me your face, Emrys. I shall not do business with a man with no face,” Arthur demanded. Something unnerved him about the swirling blackness. 

“Arthur…” Merlin warned, but he didn’t care. He deserved to see the face of his protector.

“I do not think you understand what you ask for, Arthur Pendragon. For you see, Emrys is one of my names. You know me by another.”

Arthur didn’t understand, “I already know you?”

“Indeed.”

“But I don’t know any sorcerers! Certainly not in Camelot, they’d have to be mounumentally stupid.” 

The Merlin beside Arthur winced, Emrys didn’t move. 

“Do you wish to see me so I may face the pyre? Is that your purpose in coming here?”

“No! Of course not. I don’t want to kill you, why does everyone keep thinking that?”

Emrys’s voice took on a tinge of humor, “It is illegal in Camelot, on pain of death.”

“Is that why you’ve hidden your face?”

Emrys simply nodded. 

Arthur took in a huge breath, then let it loose. “If you show me your face, I swear to promise you immunity for the crime of sorcery in the courts of Camelot.”

Emrys sounded surprised, “I would have shown you my face regardless, my lord, but I appreciate your promise and will hold you to it.”

“Am I?” Emrys’s head tilted, “Am I your lord?” Arthur finished. 

“Always.” The word was simple, but carried the weight of years of devotion, so heavy even Arthur heard it. 

“Then I have a command. Show me your face.” 

Merlin turned to him, a sad smile on his face. 

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Arthur.”

Arthur was angry for the interruption, but confused at his words.

“There is always a price for knowledge, Arthur,” Emrys explained. Emrys lowered his hood, and whispered a word, and the darkness disappeared. Arthur couldn’t believe his eyes. 

Arthur turned to his side, but there was no one there, confirming what his eyes told him. 

Merlin stood before him. 

Merlin was a sorcerer. 

“No,” Arthur whispered. 

“I’m sorry,” Merlin said, “I’ve always wanted to tell you.”

“You can’t be a sorcerer, I would know,” Arthur’s heart was breaking. 

“I couldn’t tell you, Arthur, how could I? All I could do was save your life from the shadows.”

“How long? How long have you been a sorcerer?”

“My whole life, I was born with it.”

Now the important question, “how many times have you saved my life?”

“I don’t know, Arthur,” frustration coated Merlin’s voice, “dozens, maybe? You have a habit of getting yourself into magical trouble.”

“Dozens?” Arthur could barely breathe. 

“Probably more. I mean, I saved your life twice the first day I met you. The issues definitely didn’t stop there.”

“Twice? What was the second time?”

Merlin smiled at that, “actually, the question is, when was the first time? The sorcerers put a spell on everyone to make them fall asleep. I broke the curse and dropped a chandelier on her head. The thrown knife was after.”

Arthur’s head was reeling. How many more memories were discolored by Merlin’s actions? How many things had he done that had gone unseen, unrewarded?

“We will have a long talk, Merlin, back at the castle.”

“Of course, sire,” Merlin came closer. 

“You’re not angry with me?”

“I am, but I understand you had good reason to lie to me. I’m angry with myself, like I punished a knight and he didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You haven’t been punishing me, Arthur. I like being your servant. And we have plenty of time to fix it, if I’m allowed to stay,” Merlin said hopefully. 

“Stay?” Arthur repeated. 

“If you’re not banishing me, that is.”

“I’m not going to banish you,Merlin. I won’t,” Arthur smiled grimly, “but I have a few laws to change in Camelot first.”

Merlin smiled, a real, bright smile, “Really? The laws on Magic?”

“Really,” Arthur promised. 

King and Warlock smiled at each other, and rode back to Camelot.


End file.
